In attendance were many of Lethbridge’s photography community including Hope Litwin, Rod Leland & Cody Belter. I had my new Canon 7D with me and was able to shoot some random footage to get acquainted with the camera in a low light setting for video. Here’s the resulting clip:

Scenes from a tweetup from Michael Warf on Vimeo.

I was approached by local stylist Tanya Yancie early in the planning stages and helped corral a portion of the 15 photographers who donated their time to document the day via the Alberta Strobist group. Brio salon is beautifully modern, family owned and operated. I was pleasantly surprised at how such a visually stimulating place could lay inside an unassuming retail storefront on one of the busiest streets in Lethbridge.

Rather than take portraits for the kids, I took a documentary approach so Brio could have an album to share their contribution with the community. 200 kids were affected by the movement this year, and were sent home with many grooming supplies donated from local businesses. I feel strongly that this will be an annual event, and I can’t wait to help out next Summer to help kids feel great about themselves, and give them a fresh start for the coming school year.

I met Chris & Melissa less than 48 hours before their wedding. Their original photographer had to cancel at the last minute due to a family tragedy. News of their need for a replacement photographer spread like wildfire through the support of photographers in Lethbridge and the surrounding area, and ultimately Chris and Melissa put their trust in my work (simply through the website, before even meeting! Yikes!).

Upon meeting them both the next morning, it became very obvious that Chris was a lifetime football fan. I had scouted a local pond for wedding locations previously but really wanted to do something special for this couple to make their photos shine. I pulled a few strings with friends and within hours had security clearance to shoot at the new stadium, which is still under construction.

I don’t think this is the last time you’ll see this great location in Lethbridge wedding photos, but it feels great to be the first wedding shooter to be able to do so. I covered the morning makeup and hair sessions, while Kevin McCarthy – my second shooter who drove in from Calgary with 24 hours notice, covered the guys. The service was held at University Drive Alliance church, with a lovely reception in Coalhurst, Alberta.

Thanks for putting your trust in my photography guys, it was a pleasure to work with you both on your big day!

1. Two hour photo session with Michael & assistant in multiple locations in the Lethbridge area
2. DVD full of colour-corrected, print-ready image files in high resolution (poster size and smaller)
3. 12″ x 18″ print of your favourite photo from the session.

So put a pen to paper or start hammering those keyboards and let us know why you’d like an engagement session with Michael Warf Photographics, winners will be announced on this blog in just a few short weeks!

Original Email

Why do Lethbridge photographers seem to have so little creativity.  I see photos on a website then a month or so down the road other photographers have the exact photos on their site (different subjects, same concept).  Where is the creativity?

My Response

Hi Xxxx,
I think many photographers in Lethbridge are very creative, but let me give you my spin on things.

Wedding photography is very commercial, and most photographers branch out into one of three categories:

1. Traditional
2. Modern
3. Photojournalistic

Usually the bride sees a set of shots in a magazine or a style from another photographer and requests similar locations, poses, etc.

Most photographers try and put a personal spin in things, but in the end – it’s all about the client.

Another factor is trends in the industry. Most of us belong to WPPI, a national group of wedding photographers, and attend their conference. Too many return drinking the same kool-aid.

Other times, photographers will collaborate on the same shoot. I often second shoot for other photographers in town, and they for me. Both of us will post photos from the same wedding.

If you would like to evaluate the creative potential of a photographer, ask to see a wider portfolio to see work past the constraints of weddings. As an example, I shoot music, models and cars – none of which follow the wedding “formula”.

Most photographers would love to collaborate with a client on new and fresh concepts and styles. With risk comes reward, finding a client who will give the freedom to create is often a challenge.

Where does your comment stem from? Can I help at all?

M
——————————————————————————

I think this sender makes some valid arguments that relate to other discussions we’ve been having in the industry as of late. The current economic situation is generating many new and part-time photographers into the market, trying to supplement their income, or generate a career change. This flood of new talent is bringing varying degrees of quality into the market, and the common reference for the majority of them is the portfolios of other photographers.

With many new photographers chasing quick dollars, emulating the style of other photographers, and generating a similar post production look – with just a few clicks in Photoshop (many photographers use Photoshop “actions” or recorded moves by more experienced hands to generate certain tones, textures or other visual styles) the landscape is too “watered down”. The overuse of these “actions” and “me too” poses, backgrounds and compositions tends to make things quite generic. If creativity truly is “the art of concealing your sources” – the internet is making things harder to hide.

A wedding photographer is a special breed, she is one part counsellor, photographer, project manager, technician and salesperson. The pressures of the wedding day bring out the best (and the worst) in a photographer, and those who can handle the heat excel over the long term. Some argue that the intensity of the wedding day, and the risk of experimental photography keep things looking the same.

I personally believe that if photographers stick to a consistent style, they will get work in that style – feeding more originality in the portfolio. Many discussions around locations, style and incorporating the personalities of your subjects into the resulting photos will keep things looking fresh, and let the new ones sort things out a level below.

What do you think?

I met Kristin and her mom over coffee at the local Chapters earlier this year. I knew her wedding photography would turn out great based on first impressions, they are really great people and ambassadors for the city of Lethbridge.
With a civil ceremony in council chambers at Lethbridge City Hall and cocktail reception and dance in the atrium, this wedding was a perfect venue for Kristin & Ben to celebrate their union.

We brought a team together second to none; Tanya Plonka provided her usual level of excellence in support shooting while Rod Leland and Brien Gerhing assisted location shoots and the photo booth.

As the reception unfolded, our team setup our new portable photo booth to allow guests to capture the action themselves. The photo booth was a massive hit, with lineups throughout the night waiting to make use of the various props available and receiving immediate 4 x 6 prints on demand.

Kristin & Ben are currently on honeymoon in B.C., but I can’t wait to show them their proofs and themed DVD of their big day.

Ali and I got together the other night to collaborate on artwork for her upcoming CD “Positivity”.
A folksinger from Nelson, BC – Ali can often be heard performing at the Slice of busking on local streets in Lethbridge.

“Positivity” marks Ali’s first CD recording, and I wanted a location that would accent her signature green guitar. A local canola field at sunset made a great spot – so good in fact that we canceled the studio session we booked because we nailed the shots all in one location.

This series would not have been possible without the help of assistant Brien Gehring, who is rapidly becoming my assistant of choice and a competent photographer in his own right.

The idea started innocently enough as a group of fellow photographers began discussing a photo shoot done for a European triathalon team. What would it take to do something similar in Southern Alberta? Has anyone shot under water before? How do you light it? What are the challenges?

Then a few of us turned the idea into reality. Through luck, networking, and a bit of old fashioned elbow grease – we’ve received permission to use the diving windows this Sunday to coordinate what I belive will be Lethbridge’s largest photographer collaboration of the year. One of the photographers shoots fashion, and was able to have a local designer create two unique peices just for this event. My old business partner has his SCUBA certification, so we will be able to work at longer intervals.

The local paper is ready to cover it, I’m itching to post some of the early frames right from the shoot location. Now if only we could convince a recent bride to trash the dress in the pool!

Stay tuned, big things are coming, look for sample frames early next week.

Did I mention the food is phenomenal? Clean, modern, great service – and serves more than pizza…
[mappress]

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Ian & Amber, our couple for the day were certianly easy to work with, what a great looking couple! My job was to hang back and capture candids with the long lens (wedding paparazzi) which was a ton of fun. I started the day at St. Pat’s for the ceremony (beautiful setting, lots of stained glass and pale contrasting tones) and then off to Henderson Lake and the Galt Museum for wedding party photos.

This was the first wedding of 2009 for me, and was a great warmup for some of the solo couples I’ve booked through the year. Ian & Amber are off to Thailand for their honeymoon, for a well deserved break.

I hope to work with Tanya again in this capacity, it really was low stress, high quality results.

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